The Gondoliers

By blending one of Gilbert and Sullivan's gayest and most tuneful operettas with a cast of seasoned G. & S. performers, the Winthrop House Music Society assured an evening of delightful entertainment. But the distinction of last night's production was the excellent stage arrangements of the choruses and lead actors. Amid the furl of colorful costumes the performers move with an case that is a pleasure to watch. The addition of dance and masterful choreography was D'Oyly Carte's great contribution to Gilbert and Sullivan, a contribution often ignored or largely forgotten in local stagings of the duumvirate's works. Adele Hugo, as choreographer, has successfully combined motion with singing, overcoming the minute dimensions of the Winthrop stage in the process.

Possibly the only quarrel I have with the structure of the Gondoliers is the absence of a prominent and clever patter song. The defect is, however, somewhat covered by numerous biting lines that can add considerable sharpness to the action between songs, and the cast is quick to find the comedy in many of them. Yet others are lost because, as in the first act, the dialogue has been paced too rapidly and the punch line is buried under the heavy dirgue of the following speech. If Director Richard Smithies had applied his talent in developing the humor with the same adroitness he exhibited in the remainder of The Gondoliers, the evening would have had an even brighter lilt.

The Gondoliers-quickly becomes as complicated as most of Gilbert's plots, with two stalwart boatmen marrying three maids, one of the gondoliers to be a king who is legally married to a duchesses' daughter who loves a drumboy, and so on. Elizabeth Kalkhurst, one of the maids, catches the lighthearted spirit of the operetta perfectly. She sings as usual, with a full, beautiful voice, but this is the first time I have seen her completely relax in her acting--and the result is most charming. Her sister is played by Linda Latter, whose singing is clear without being shrill, and who is perhaps best described as pert. Their gondolier lovers are Paul Sperry and James Greene; both sing with energy and clarity, combining amazingly well on the difficult duets.

If Gilbert and Sullivan productions were supposed to approach realism, I would have to say Mr. Greene is somewhat wooden, and that Mr. Sperry reads his lines like a Sunday orator. But what Gilbert thought of as sentiment is now considered silly, and the overdone speeches fully contribute to the show. Stephen Bolster as the Duke and Jacqueline Crowell as his wife are a bit weak on their singing, but are sufficiently pompous in the role of aristocracy. The Duchess and her daughter, Merle Moses, flip their fans in fine precision, although a little too often. Miss Moses was nervous in the opening act last night, but is otherwise adequate. Her secret attraction is the drumboy, Bob Stern, who sings with a strong melodic voice. The old fellow who gives everyone trouble is William Cowperthwaite, the Grand Inquisitor, who performs his duty with solemn face and extended arms.

There are several others, I think, who deserve special mention. All of the choruses were excellent, following their cues with firecracker timing. The backdrops by John Ratte were strikingly fresh, as was the short but effective appearance of Dorothea Schmidt. The frequent dances of Carol Corby and Patricia Leathem were not frequent enough, and although Gondoliers warrants a trip to Winthrop House, the presence of the two young ladies should be a final clincher.